MIRAMAR, Fla. — Confusion and frustration followed parent pickup Thursday outside Sunshine Elementary School after families learned the campus is among six Broward County schools set to close due to declining enrollment.
“I would ask them exactly what is the problem. What is the cause, why the school is closing?” asked Pierre Brutus, whose daughter attends Sunshine.
Other parents said they were saddened and caught off guard.
“Actually, I’m really not happy about it,” one mother said.
Rosiane Telfort, whose first-grade student attends the school, said she did not realize the closure was official. “I really didn’t know that but I’m very sad for that,” she said.
The Broward County School Board voted Wednesday to close six schools, sparing only Bair Middle School in Sunrise after emotional appeals from the community.
District officials say Sunshine students will be reassigned to nearby Fairway Elementary, less than a mile away, though enrollment has been declining at both schools.
Some parents said the move creates new challenges, including transportation and having to reapply through school choice.
“We don’t know how this is going to go,” said Mike Michaud, whose son attends Sunshine.
Superintendent Howard Hepburn said the district’s next step is “rightsizing,” which includes reducing staff through attrition, retirements and layoffs as enrollment continues to fall.
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